


One Year

by littlestephen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Irondad, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Time Travel, spiderson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-02-15 18:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18675298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlestephen/pseuds/littlestephen
Summary: Peter Parker is a successful CEO and owner of Parker Industries. A young genius, billionaire and, of course, Spider-Man.After a risky battle against Thanos, the intruder, Peter Parker was almost dying. However, Doctor Strange was helping him in a way.Now he's in 2018, a sixteen years old teenager. And he has one year to fix things up before Thanos comes and find him.orPeter goes back in time. He has one mission: save the world. But, for that, he needs Tony Stark trust.





	1. 2028

**Author's Note:**

> So...  
> The summary is kinda messy. But you guys will understand it on the next chapter. For now we have the Prologue. Enjoy!

            Peter Parker swung towards Manhattan, heartbeat racing up as he approached the place his AI told him to go. “Ok, Karen, tell me what you see, honey,” he spoke, jokingly, trying to mask his urge to stop swinging and throw up. The HUD in front of his brown-colored eyes showed him the image of an alien. At first, he was confused. An invasion? It does not seem like it. There were no alien soldiers running through New York’s streets, murdering people. It was only one alien. A massive one. About two meters and half, wearing a gold armor and holding a sword of two blades.

            “It appears that this being came through a circle of energy.” Karen informed, in her monotonous voice.

            “A portal?” Peter frown deepened as he heard the AI explaining about the alien arrive.

            “Yes.”

            The young man bit his lower lip, hiding his nervousness.

            Minutes ago Peter Parker was in a press conference, delivering to the reporters his new medical tech — that he made with a little help of Bruce Banner, the most famous scientist he knew. It was going well, Parker Industries was receiving a spotlight in the news, everyone seemed happy and excited about his doings. However, when the conference was finally over, his AI, Karen, alerted him about the intruder trespassing the planet earth, in the center of Manhattan.

            “Excuse me, Mr. Parker. Would you care to explain where you are going?” His assistant asked, words filled with sarcasm and venom. Peter rolled his eyes, impatiently.

            “I am so sorry, Miss Jones,” he replied sarcastically. “A giant purple alien came through a portal and as a hero I need to stop him.” The woman sighed. “Really, MJ! I know you’re like… an independent assistant and all—”

            “Indeed. Because I hate being controlled by your stupid ass.” She said, without caring about his feelings.

            “Ouch. That hurt. I’m not irrational, you know?”

            “Whatever you say, Parker. I will hold things up for you here. I want a dinner when you come back.” With that, the call ended.

            Peter sighed. Sometimes, he asked himself how he loved that woman. But he knew that she was the right one for him. MJ, since high school, was always respectful about his job as Spider-Man. Not only that. The woman was unique and independent, always showing her dominance towards people. She was strong. Peter smiled, thinking about the dinner he’d have once he got home.

            Spider-Man swung, jumping of some building and attaching himself to another. He got in Manhattan really fast, thanks to his new web formula — more resistant and flexible. His eyes analyzed the streets, searching for the big purple alien. “Karen, where is him?” The AI showed a ‘loading and scanning’ message in the HUD and after a few seconds the location of the intruder appeared in his map. “Here we go. Spider-Man coming!” He said to himself, jumping off the building. As he fell, he aimed his wrists towards another building, shooting the webs.

            As he swung, he saw people running away from danger. At least people were aware of the risks of staying in that place. Spider-Man eyed the purple alien, carefully climbing the building and reaching for the roof. “Zoom in, darling, please,” he asked nicely, as the AI zoomed on the purple alien’s face. “Ugh, gross. Zoom out a little, Karen,” he faked a disgusting expression and waited for the AI’s reaction.

            Peter froze in horror.

            Some buildings and some parts of the asphalt were destroyed, leaving the street full of wreckage. The purple alien stood up, cleaning its sword, emotionless. As Peter’s eyes scanned the street, he found bodies. Or rather, motionless heroes laying down the street with almost no life.  The avengers were defeated, as they were nothing but insects. Captain Rogers breathed heavily, trying to stand up with his broken shield. While he stood, Black Widow tried to call help. Bruce Banner was nowhere to be found — however Peter could clearly see the hole on some building, he deduced the scientist was inconscient inside that building. Hawkeye had no strength to catch his bow. Even Doctor Strange was there, with his magic cloak trying to keep him up.

And then, there was Tony Stark.

            Iron Man kneeled, the light in the arc reactor was fading away. The man eyed the alien with hate, as if he could kill the intruder with his eyes. The purple alien glanced over the avengers one last time. And when he was sure they wouldn’t stood up to fight him, he started to walk away.

            Spider-Man jumped off the roof, swinging with mastery, reaching for the intruder. “Hold up, my friend. Are you leaving me here?” He said, putting the hero façade he created years ago. “That’s really disrespectful. I came here just to see you!” Peter said faking a grin. However, his mind was filled with horrible and worrying thoughts.

            “I don’t have the time to play with an insect like you.” The alien eyed him, impatient.

            “Technically, spiders aren’t insects.” Peter said, putting his hands on his waist. “But, well, you shouldn’t know that. It’s your first time here on earth, right?” He did not expect an answer from the alien, but he waited anyways. “Let me welcome you properly, buddy.”

            Spider-Man webbed the alien’s face, running towards him immediately. The purple alien groaned, angry, and took off the web on his face. _Too late_ , Peter thought. He dodged the alien’s punch and webbed his left leg on the ground as he ran towards the alien’s back. The intruder tried to grab him, however, Peter had agility and was faster than him. Jumping above the alien, Peter webbed his right leg to the ground and webbed the alien’s head, pulling him to the ground.

            The intruder groaned with pain, feeling the asphalt hitting and scratching his face. Spider-Man was not done yet. “Karen, explosive web.”

            “Explosive web engaged.” She replied.

            Peter jumped and webbed a few times, throwing four small sphere-shaped webs toward the alien. When the spheres had contact with the intruder’s skin, they exploded. Immediately stronger webs held the alien on the ground. He groaned trying to tear the web apart. Peter laughed.

            “Sorry, Mr. Grape, I made those.” He explained with a grin.

            However, letting his confident behind, he sprinted towards the avengers. “Karen, please, analyze.” He ordered softly, but worried. The AI took only one minute to analyze the team. “Fuck…” He saw the results shining on the HUD. They all had critical conditions.

            Captain Rogers had a hole on his stomach, losing a good amount of blood.   
Hawkeye seemed to be in terrible condition. One of his legs were broken and his arms were crushed by the alien’s hands. Peter could now understand why he didn’t have the strength to catch his bow. His pulse was weak, and if Peter did not call someone, he would die right there, in front of him. Black Widow was now unconscious, breathing slowly. Doctor Strange was the only one breathing normally and watching the whole scene.

            Finally Peter was able to reach the body of the billionaire. The Iron Man's suit was crushed, the energy still running through the suit though. He took off his helmet, without any care. He had to make sure Tony Stark was alive. Peter searched for a pulse and was surprised when he saw that his heart was beating normally. The man had a weird breathing. Karen analyzed and discovered that the suit pierced one of his lungs. _Damnit_ , Peter thought.

            Peter patted Tony's face, which seemed to be unconscious. When he didn’t receive an  answer, he hit harder. He heard a loud snap as his hand hit the man's face. Tony's eyes widened in shock, frightened by what had hurt him. Tony's eyes met Spider-Man's mask, and he looked relieved. But he remembered why he was there.

            “Parker, you have to go," he said desperately. "Please, kid, leave now! He's going to kill you!” He shouted, and Peter could see the man was about to panic.

            “No! You stay right here! I’ll be right back to help you guys.” Peter said firmly.

            “Peter—”

            Tony Stark was interrupted. The intruder had finally broken Peter's webs. And now, he was holding the young-man's neck tightly. He was visibly irritated with the hero. He wanted to crush him like an insect. Peter tried to get out of that alien's grasp, but he was much stronger than he was. With difficulty, Peter aimed his wrists to the alien's face and tossed his webs. The alien grunted and felt his face go forward, meeting Peter's head. Spider-Man had headbutted him.

            The intruder looked more irritated. However, Peter wasted no time and tried to get Tony out. Grabbing the man carefully, Peter jumped, leaving the elder close to the Black Widow, going to fight again. His duty was to prevent the alien from approaching his co-workers, who were still wounded. Peter took advantage of the fact that the alien was dizzy and kicked several times the back of his head. He would have continued, if it weren’t for the alien's huge hand, that grabbed his leg and pulled it up. Peter was no longer on the ground. "Insect," said the intruder, annoyed.

            Peter Parker felt the bone of his leg break. He screamed in agony. His leg was broken; his leg had been broken. The alien still held Peter by the ankle, making the young-man moan in pain. He played with the hero's body, swinging it through the air. And Peter felt that he no longer had the strength to endure the pain. His heart still racing. His lungs seemed to be broken in some way. Breathless. Peter was suffocating. He wanted the man to let go of his leg. He wanted to feel the air again. The world around him was getting dark. Peter, unconsciously, could hear the sound of water. He seemed to be drowning. Peter wanted to get back to the surface, but he did not seem to be able to. He was desperate. 

            "Peter!" Tony shouted, waking up from his panic attack. The young-man turned to the man. The man was close to the bodies of his friends, who were unconscious. Peter remembered that he was in battle, and he could not give up. As much as he was seriously injured. Peter tossed his webs into the alien's face a second time, pulling the man's head toward his left leg, which was normal. The man grunted and let go of Peter. The boy fell to the floor, feeling his weight fall on his legs. And Peter screamed in pain.

            “Karen, analyze.” Peter ordered with difficulty. He felt the air circulating in his lungs again. His heart still racing. Adrenaline rushed through his blood. He was very agitated. The AI, however, does not seem to have the best answer. She told Peter to go to a hospital. Peter shouted that there was no way. He would have to continue. The AI then suggested that the young-man tried to put his bone in place and leave him stuck with something. Peter tried to put the bone in place, getting it after a few minutes. Then he glanced at his leg and tossed his webs. He tried to hold on for a few more minutes.

            "Boss, you have five minutes until you're unconscious," Karen warned.

            "Thank you," Peter thanked, throwing himself once more toward the giant. The alien was trying to get the hero by his leg again, but Peter was throwing his webs into the intruder’s hands and pulling him down. He threw another web on his hand and had control over the alien’s hands. He pulled it down without hesitation, kneeing the alien’s chin with strength. The intruder groaned. Seemed like he was getting somewhere with this.

 _I can do this!_ He said to himself.

            The titan ripped the webs, heading toward the young-man. Peter changed the type of web, again, and shoot the same explosive webs he used earlier to trap the alien on the floor. Peter aimed and shoot on the alien’s feet, holding it once more to the ground. Peter was once again going towards the giant. He would focus on his head until the alien was unconscious. Peter punched the intruder's jaw, dodging from the furious fist that was coming toward him, and then struck another punch.

            One more punch. Dodge. Punch. A kick with his left leg. Another explosive web.

            The alien was not sleeping. Peter was beginning to despair. Until the hero was sloppy and did not dodged from the alien's punch. He grunted in pain, feeling once again the world around him turn black. He bit her tongue immediately. That would keep him awake for a few more minutes. Peter groaned in pain trying to get up. However, he felt a weight on his right leg. The intruder stepped on his injured leg. Peter screamed, rising desperately, trying to pull the alien's foot off his leg. His heartbeat rose. His senses seemed to have gone away. His body rigid. His bristling body hairs. He needed to get the alien's foot off his leg. He needed to get out of there.

            “Mr. Parker!” Peter heard someone calling him. His eyes peered over his shoulder, glancing towards the person who’d called him. It was Doctor Strange, with a determined look on his face. “Listen to me, carefully! You’ll have one year! Only one, Parker! You need to do the right thing!” Peter was confused, however, he nodded. He would do anything to get the pain away.

            Suddenly an orange light embraced his body. He saw Doctor Strange chanting something and drawing symbols on the air. The intruder was confused, so he left Peter’s leg alone for a while. The alien was about to punch the sorcerer in the face; however, someone shoot him with a blast. Peter watched Tony Stark shooting the alien, even though his lungs were malfunctioning.

            “One year, Peter!” Strange said one last time.

            “Boss, you’re losing consciousness.” Karen informed.

            However, his body was now light and the only thing he could hear was his own breath. And then, he closed his eyes. Everything went black.


	2. One Cold Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back!  
> This is the first time I post two chapters in a row. That's amazing.  
> Anyway!! Now we're getting to the nice part!  
> Hope you like it.

            Peter Parker jumped in sweat; widened eyes searching for his co-workers. Those chocolate-colored eyes examined the room that he was in. A small bedroom, with a table on the corner — where some old pieces of computers laid down on it; a small wardrobe; and the bed that somehow, he was on. The young-man took a deep breath, letting his own brain rest for a minute.

            “Where am I?” Peter forces himself to get up. Surprisingly, his right leg was now normal. He walked in circles for a while, feeling his leg working normally. Challenging himself, the brunette jumped. Still nothing. No pain. The young-man jumped and did a flip, landing perfectly on the ground. After some minutes amazed with his now healthy leg, Peter heard someone.

            “Stop jumping! You asshole! I need to sleep!” It was an angry woman, yelling at him. Peter blinked confused. He stood there, processing that information. The young-man was pretty sure he lived in one of the nicest places in New York. When he first announced the Parker Industries, he stopped living in the dorms and bought a penthouse in the center of the city. However, now he was in some kind of cheap apartment.

            His eyes ran through the bedroom, analyzing.

            Peter was in a really small bedroom, with Iron Man’s and Avenger’s posters glued to the wall. That was already weird. He stopped admiring the heroes when he fought alongside them with a big alien-ship over a year ago. He was now part of the team — words of Captain America. Besides the posters, the room had boxes of Legos on the floor and some nerdy shirts hanging around the room. The bed alone had a Hulk blanket. Peter frowned. He remembered those things. All of them.

            One thing got his attention. A frame-picture. Peter walked towards the photograph, grabbing it immediately. There was a small little boy, with brown curled hair and a big Iron Man mask on his face; beside him was a young-looking woman, holding the boy’s little hand. Behind them was a man with a smile, holding both of them on the shoulders. He definitely remembered those things. Especially that photograph. He had no doubts that those people were his aunt May, uncle Ben and himself. They took that photo in an old Stark Expo. Peter smiled, weakly.

            It’s been over ten years since aunt May’s death. She got in a car accident, while she was coming back from the hospital. Peter didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. Neither he had a chance to saw her face one last time. His aunt’s body was deformed. The car was crushed by a tank truck; when the truck fell, the gasoline spilled out off the tank and exploded the whole street. Aunt May had her body burned and crushed by the debris. They couldn’t even recognize her.

            Peter took a deep breath, letting those feelings go away. He had no time to be emotional. He put the photograph back on the table, going towards the bed he was on. However, something started ringing. A cellphone. Peter peered around the room, trying to find the phone. He found a really old one — he had one of those back when he was sixteen years old. It was an unknown number. He accepted.

            “Hello?” He asks. Something in his voice sounded wrong, but he’d see that later. “Who is it?” The line went silent for a couple of seconds. Someone let out a sigh.

            “Is this Peter Parker?”

            Peter frowned. Sure he was Peter Parker; however, his phone was back on his office — he let it there with MJ to make sure no one would be angry at him for not picking up. Also, only a few people knew his personal number. If someone from another company or a sponsorship needed to talk to him, they’d have to talk with MJ first. Plus, that wasn’t his phone. The phone was old, and the screen was shattered. His phone was one he built himself.

            “Yes…” He answered anyway.

            “I’m Dr. Marquez. Sorry for giving you the news, however, I’m the only one available at the moment.” The man said, his tone sad and worried. Peter froze. He knew that man. He knew that voice. He knew that line. The young-man blinked, scared. “Your aunt, May Parker, has been in a car accident. We need you to come to Queens Memorial as soon as you can.”

            He listened to the man’s voice, his heart wanting to stop. What was going on? He’d received that message when he was sixteen, when his aunt died. And now there it was again, the same message, the same man and the same accident.

            “Peter?”

            Peter coughed.

            “Is she… is she alright?” He asked. Somehow, he knew that that wasn’t fake or a prank. It was real. “What happened?”

            “We can talk once you get here.”

            “Ok. I’m coming.” Peter whispered, weakly. It was happening again. It was all happening again. But why?

            The call ended. Peter stood up again, grabbing the phone tightly. He needed some answers. His fingers navigated on the shattered screen, trying to unlock the phone. Surprisingly, he knew the combination to unlock — it was one of his old passwords. Once the phone unlocked, there was a photo of him, May and Ben together as a wallpaper. He remembered that photo. It was his fourteenth birthday; they’d eat some pizza together and celebrated the event with happiness. Peter put that photo as his wallpaper when Ben died.

            “What the fuck?” He cursed under his breath, confused.

            He searched the calendar. To his surprise, it was May 1st, of 2018.

            Peter tried to call MJ or his office. Nothing. There was not even a sound. It was an inexistent number. The brunette breathed hard, confused with all that. He was back in 2018, for some reason.

            He remembered fighting the alien with determination; he remembered his co-workers almost dead. And then his leg broke. Pain. There was pain and screams. He was screaming. But, suddenly, it all stopped.

            “One year…” He murmured, remembering the words of Doctor Strange.

            The sorcerer was conjuring something with his magic and then he said he had one year until the alien came back to kill him. Peter sighed, worried. What does that mean? He was back in time to fix the past. To save the world. But how? How was he supposed to do that?

            Peter sighed again.

            For now he’d see his aunt. Or rather, see the motionless and carbonized body of his aunt. Peter felt shivers down his spine. He did not want to see that again. He saw it already, one time. He was definitely not prepared to see her again.

 

* * *

 

 

            Peter’s life started to change when his aunt died in that car accident.

            The brunette lost a lot of things. His parents — he remembered a few things of them, specially when they gave little Peter to his uncle and aunt. His chance to be normal — he remembered being sick for one week, the high fever and weak body; and then he got those powers. His uncle — he remembered using his powers to earn easy money, he also remembered when he could’ve stopped the criminal, but he didn’t; then Ben was shot, and everything started to fall apart.

            However, losing aunt May was horrible.

            Losing someone is never easy, he knew that. But losing his only left family was way worst. On April 30th, Peter woke up normally, going to school, chatting with Ned and talking about his patrols after the Vulture accident. Then he got home, did his homework, watched some star war movie and went to sleep. May was busy with work — since Ben died, May started to work on different places, only to give Peter the comfort they had before —, she was staying for the night in the hospital.

            Then he woke up with his phone ringing — it was five in the morning.

            Peter never cried so hard. He sobbed as he saw the carbonized body of his aunt; he cried as he remembered Ben and his parents; cried as he had failed them. He was Spider-Man. He saved people as a responsibility. And yet, he could not save his own aunt. His family. The doctor said it was an accident. There was no one involved. The driver was sober; however, the tires were malfunctioning. Peter remembered listening to the driver’s apologies — with his enhanced hearing, the brunette tried to sense some lie coming from the man, listening to his heartbeat; there were no changes. The man was being sincere.

            On that moment, Peter Parker was alone. He didn’t have no one to call family. His friend Ned was the only one who helped him through this whole situation. And Peter moved on. He loved his family, of course; but he needed to continue with his own life.

            Peter lived with Ned for a year, before going to M.I.T. to have a degree on electrical engineering. The brunette was a genius, got a scholarship easily. He started to live in the dorms. And the young-man had a dream of creating a new industry. The Parker Industries. His family industry. And it worked. Peter knew Tony Stark — since the Sokovia Accords, when he was fifteen — and got some help from the billionaire. Bruce Banner sometimes helped him on the biochemical stuff. He got help.

            And, above all that, Peter was still Spider-Man — well known as Peter Parker’s personal security guard. It sounded like a joke at first, but then it started to be true. Both Peter and Spider-Man belonged to the industry. And the fans loved it. The media loved it. The country loved it.

            Nevertheless, there he was. Chocolate-colored eyes glancing at his aunt. The woman was now covered with white sheets. Peter could only see her delicate left hand, with her skin burned. It was painful. He imagined the pain the elder went through before dying.

            It was exactly like last time he was there. Dr. Marquez introduced himself with a pleasant smile, inviting him to come to the mortuary. Peter knew that the doctor was only pitying on him; he knew that the man had no intention to help. Marquez was only doing his job at the hospital. Unlucky guy that was working at this hour and had to give some terrible news to a kid. Peter bit his lower lip. The hallway seemed like an infinite route to hell as they wandered slowly towards the morgue. There were a few people, coughing or complaining about the hospital — they were all sick. Peter remembered them. Peter remembered it all.

            “… the driver is alive, he said he’s sorry.” The doctor was saying to the brunette; however Peter was focused on his past. The young- _boy_ was from the future, he was twenty-six years old, but suddenly he felt like a little kid. He was afraid of everything. He was afraid of death. “We’re here, Peter.” He looked at the teenager with a smile, reassuring him that it’ll all be ok. Peter knew that this was a lie.

            “Can… can I stay alone with her?” The man did a funny face, probably confused with it. The doctor thought the boy would want to cry and deny that the aunt was dead. However, there he was, standing in front of the door; as if he knew what was happening.

            “Of course. And just so you know, the social worker is coming in ten minutes to pick you up.” Marquez informed, trying to not sound like an insensible man. “I heard… I hear she was your last family-related person.” Peter sighed, controlling himself.

            The brunette opened the door, ignoring the doctor behind him. Once the door was close, Peter let some tears run through his white skin. It was exactly like last time he’d seen her. A white sheet covering her body; the left hand uncovered, showing him the burned skin; the smell of death surrounding his nose. He felt nauseous. He wasn’t prepared. He wanted to go back to 2028. He wasn’t strong enough to see her again. Peter let a small whine, as he sat on the chair. The tears coming stronger. It doesn’t seem like he was going to stop crying.

            “Hi, aunt May.” He whispered, weak. May didn’t respond. Peter smiled sadly. “You don’t know this, but in the future, I created a company on our name… Parker.” He peered up, glancing the white ceiling. God, it hurt. “It is- well, it was going pretty well.” He laughed for a second. “I almost died. I’m back for a reason and I know in my heart that I need to make it right.” Peter grabbed the burned and cold hand of his aunt. He sobbed. It was so cold; motionless; lifeless. “I need to save the world. I need to save them. The Avengers…”

            He could almost feel the warmth of his aunt again. Remembering the time she used to comfort him with a smile and hug. Peter would cry on her shoulder for hours, and then they’d grab some ice cream and eat until it was night. May was always caring. She cared about his school; his emotions; his thought; and even about Spider-Man. Peter smiled, holding her hand tightly.

            Filled with determination, the brunette wiped his tears away, letting May’s hand on the bed. He took a deep breath and started to rethink about his steps. He knew for a fact that he had only _one_ year to save the world. Or rather, he had one year to prepare to fight that alien again.

            When May died, he called Ned, his best friend. It was a good call. Peter needed someone to be there for him, and Ned’s family was supportive and embraced the teen with love and care. He needed them, and they’d give him love. However, right now, he needed a way to work. That alien was coming in one year. The alien that killed the avengers. Peter needed a plan and a place to work with it; a place where he could build something new — a new Spider-Man suit. He needed help. However, this time, he was not coming for Ned.

 

* * *

 

 

            The social worker found nothing in that morgue. It was only the deceased woman covered with a white sheet. The doctor said that the teenager was there minutes ago and that no one saw him leaving that building. The woman scoffed, fixing her blond hair. She had a job to do. She’d find the kid no matter what.

            Peter Parker glanced the street. It was quiet and calm; there was only some people walking towards the subway — probably going to work in another place. The brunette sighed and sprinted, going forwards. His apartment was close. He just needed his old Spider-Man suit. He needed to go somewhere. Unfortunately, the place he needed to go was far away from Queens. Peter glanced at the street again, searching people acting in a suspect way. There was no one. As he thought, the social worker was going to be late. They needed a team to find the boy.

            Fortunately, he was Spider-Man.

            The teenager — he was still not used with his small body and high-pitched voice — climbed carefully his building, reaching for his own bedroom. The apartment was empty, there was no one in there. Peter felt something crushing his heart at the thought of his aunt welcoming him and inviting him to eat dinner. The brunette sighed and pushed away those nostalgic feelings. He needed to leave.

            Almost as a habit, Peter grabbed his backpack. His hands wandered through the wardrobe, picking some clothes — and his old computer, that he was definitely going to fix. The Spider-Man suit was in the suitcase that Tony Stark gave him after the Vulture incident. He smiled at his old suit. It was perfect for him when he was a teenager; however, at the moment, it was terrible. It needed some updates. Peter took off his shirt and pants, putting immediately his old suit.

            The nostalgic feeling embraced his body, sending shivers down his spine. It was nice to have his first ever technological suit back. He remembered putting his old suits in his basement, kept in a special compartment. He never used again.

            “Ok, Peter you got this.” He put the mask on.

            “Good morning, Peter. Where are you going today?” Karen greeted him, with a pleasant tone in her robotic voice. God, he missed his AI.

            “Karen! Hi! We’re going on a mission,” he explained as he filled his backpack with important things — such as clothes, computer, his phone and the charger.

            The AI went silent for a moment. “Peter, it appears that you’re grounded. Your aunt asked Mr. Stark to put a protocol in your suit that tells him when you’re going out in the suit.” Peter blinked, confused.

_Shit!_ He had forgotten that he was grounded for coming home late. Aunt May was really upset and said that Peter was going to put Spider-Man on the bench for two weeks. Peter bit his lips. If this were his new AI, Peter would’ve just said the master code to overwrite her code and delete the protocol. However, Karen, on that moment, was still Tony Stark’s AI.

            Peter took his computer off his backpack, turning it on. Maybe he could access the AI’s code with his computer — he knew how to disable a simple AI. And, when he got the suit, he remembered Tony saying that Karen — at the time without a name — was an easy AI, to help FRIDAY, giving information about Peter all the time. He took his mask off, plugging it to his computer.

            As he thought, Karen’s program was simple — yet difficult to access. But Peter was now almost at Tony Stark’s level of programming. He learned well at the college. His fingers played with the keyboard, accessing the hard drive with mastery. Karen had a good amount of protocols, controlling and limiting the suit. Peter could disable them all, but it was dangerous. Since he was in a simple computer and he didn’t have all the details on Karen’s programming, he could alert FRIDAY.

            Thinking about what he should do, Peter opened the Grounded Protocol, and overwrote the codes. Now Karen would not alert Tony’s AI. Instead, she’d play some music on Peter’s phone, only for fun. The teenager laughed, closing his computer and putting it back on his backpack. Now it should be all good to go. Peter put his mask on, listening to Karen one more time.

            “Good morning, Peter. Where’s the mission?” She inquired.

            “Upstate, honey. And could you please call me boss?” He answered, missing his own AI. Not that Peter was a selfish and narcissistic, but he really enjoyed listening to Karen calling him ‘boss’.

            The AI went silent. Peter frowned. She should be faster than this.

_I’ll fix it when I get there_ , he said to himself.

            “Of course, boss.” Karen replied. “May I give you the best route to upstate?”

            “Bring it on, Karen.” He said, grinning. He tightens the backpack’s grip on his shoulder and opened the window.

            “Where on upstate?”

            “Avengers compound.” Then he jumped.

 

* * *

 

 

            Spider-Man jumped off the truck, landing perfectly on the grass. He sighed in relief, patting his hands in his suit to get some grass out of it. He took a deep breath. According to Karen, to get to the compound people needed an ID access, and the security was really strict about that. Peter remembered Happy telling him that the Parker Industries was sloppy, because everyone could enter without an ID card. At the time, Peter laughed, because another AI — called Markus — took care of the identifying the people who entered.

            “So it is impossible to enter without an ID card or something like that?”

            “According to my calculation, boss, it is not impossible to enter. However, the Avengers will automatically be informed of an intruder.” She informed. Peter hummed, placing his hand on his chin.

            Then it came to him. “Prepare, darling, I have an idea!”

            Peter took his mask off, hiding himself behind some trees. There was no one in the roadway, so there was no risk of taking his mask off. The brunette forced himself to cry. He needed a convicting expression full of sorrow and grief. And, honestly, it wasn’t that hard. The teenager remembered his aunt’s body, burned and crashed with the car debris. He felt the guilt swallowing him. Suddenly he started crying. It hurt. It really hurt. But he needed to do this.

            “Boss, your distress rate is high, I suggest you sit down and drink some water.” Peter felt like the world was falling apart again. However, this time, it was falling in his favor. Karen was following the plan and her protocols. There was a protocol that would alert if Peter’s heartbeat was high. Soon Karen would alert FRIDAY about his conditions.

            Spider-Man took a deep breath, still crying.

            “I’ve alerted FRIDAY, boss.”

            The teen grinned. “Good.”

            With that, Peter jumped, aiming his wrists and tossing his webs at a tree. Swinging speedily toward the compound, the brunette smiled. A perfect plan. He tossed a few more webs, jumping the big wall that protected the compound, landing perfectly on the grass. As soon as he landed, Peter’s ears captured the alarming sound.

            “Intruder in the southwest wall. Intruder in the southwest wall.” It was FRIDAY’s robotic voice, alerting the Avengers. Peter forced himself to cry more. He needed to look convincing to them. He sprinted towards the compound front. “Intruder next the front gate! Intruder next to the front gate!”

            He heard the Iron Man suit flying above him, aiming his hands on him. Peter grinned behind his mask. He’d done it. Tony Stark suddenly landed, confused to see the teenage Spider-Man. The helmet opened, showing the billionaire’s face. Peter had to start acting. He needed to look broken. And, well, it wasn’t a lie. He just didn’t want to admit it in front of Tony Stark.

            After the Vulture events, Peter Parker and Tony Stark never saw themselves really much. When the boy denied Tony’s invite to be an Avenger, they just stopped talking. Iron Man was a busy guy, always dealing with his own company — even though Pepper Potts was now the CEO. And, after dealing with Peter, he had to deal with the new Sokovia Accords. Tony was trying to get the team together again. And he did it, after some months. However, Peter Parker was forgotten.

            And, somehow, the brunette was kind of upset with the billionaire.

            “Kid, what are you doing here?! Aren’t you grounded?” He asked, approaching the teen. Peter could see he was mad. “You aunt asked me to put a protocol, and here you are. I’m calling her. Get you ass inside,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry, Cap, it’s only a person I know.”

            Peter stood there, upset. He wasn’t really expecting kindness coming from Tony Stark. However, the teen remembered the days when they met again, inside his own personal lab in Parker Industries. The man had praised the young-man and gave him tips about running a company.

            “Come on, Peter! I’m not going to say again.” Tony called him one more time. Peter didn’t move. Impatient, the billionaire took the brunette’s mask off, revealing the boy’s face. Peter had his red eyes, and some tears running down his cheeks. “Kid?” Tony softened. “What happened, kid? Are you hurt? I saw FRIDAY alerting me about your heartbeat.” Tony was now worried. Peter knew Tony had a soft spot.

            “May…” Peter murmured. Even if he was only acting, talking about his aunt wasn’t easy. It still hurt. Peter hiccuped. “She… Aunt May… she’s,” he felt his hands shaking. He remembered grabbing that cold hand, wishing she was alive. “She’s gone.”

            Tony froze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK. Before I say goodbye I have to explain some things.  
> 1- Yes, May is dead. She kinda needed to be dead. Sorry.  
> 2- Yes, Peter knows how to deal with tech! But, don't worry, Ned will still help him.  
> 3- I am not going to write a whole chapter of Peter's life in the future. I've left some stuff and you gotta pick it to understand Peter's mind and motivations.  
> 4- Tony and Peter were separated, that's why Tony wasn't expecting Peter. They got into a rough relationship.  
> That's it, for now.  
> Thanks for reading :))


	3. One Warm Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, i'm not really proud of this chapter. Sorry.

            Tony sat in the leather armchair, resting his head while his mouth let out a sigh. The Iron Man suit was now inside the workshop under the compound. Wearing just black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, the billionaire glanced at his hands. His mind processing the information he just got. It was a fact that Tony Stark was a genius and could create or fix almost everything within minutes. Almost everything. Currently, the man had a riddle to solve and it was challenging. A challenge named Peter Parker.

            Dark-brown eyes peered up, only to find a young teenager playing with his own hands. His thumbs frantically rubbing the Spider-Man’s mask in his hands. While his hands were occupied, the chocolate-colored eyes had a gloomy glance, as if the boy had just lost his reason to live. Tony almost slapped himself on the face. Peter just lost his aunt; his only family left. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the boy in grief.

            Peter stopped playing with his mask, putting it on the table in front of him. He let a sigh and allowed himself to lay his head on the table. Suddenly, the billionaire felt the heavy and awkward atmosphere disappear. It seemed as it was the right moment to talk to the teenager. Tony took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst.

            He remembered when his parents died.

            Tony went to the hospital, only to find his mother and father covered with a black plastic bag. At the time, he did not want to believe. His mind was away, only focusing on his mother, the only person who really cared about him. And, even if he hated his father for mentally abusing him, it all felt unreal. He wanted them to come back to life. Tony wanted to argue with his father one more time; wanted to show him that he was someone worthy of his attention. Tony wanted to feel the warmth of his mother’s hand one last time; he wanted to say sorry for being rude sometimes; he wanted to say goodbye.

            After that, he had nowhere to go. Of course, the man was the heir of the company, had billions of dollars in his bank account — even if he was only a teenager. However, going back to his house, only to see and feel the emptiness, it was hard. It hurt. Up until today, Tony had this empty feeling; this pain of never saying goodbye to his mother; this guilt.

            He approached the boy.

            “Hey, kiddo,” he whispered softly. Tony had to admit; he was terrible with kids. His only role model was his father — the person that said that Tony was disappointing and screamed at him, saying that he needed to be perfect. However, he just said what he wanted to hear when he lost his parents. “I know it’s hard. But, you gotta tell me what happened. I need to know what happened so I can help you.” Peter glanced at him, eyes suddenly with hope. Tony stiffened.

            “You… you know nothing,” Peter murmured, shifting his gaze to somewhere else. Tony took another deep breath.

            “Trust me, kid, I’ve been through this,” he said. Tony knew that the kid wanted help. “Will you let me help?” Tony asked, watching the boy turning slowly towards him. “I promise I’ll help, Peter.”

            Peter Parker glanced at the billionaire. When he first lost his aunt, he had no one. Of course, Ned was there to give him food and a place to sleep; he had his best friend to talk. And, honestly, he was sure that if he tried to open himself to his friend, he’d probably help Peter with pleasure. However, because of the guilt, Peter kept it all inside. He deserved it. It was his fault.

            But, watching the man in front of him, assuring him that he’d help… it gave him hope. With a single sentence, Peter let his walls down; he let Tony enter his heart. And, God, the man knew the way to reach it. He was nothing like his aunt. May was kind and spoke with a soft and warm tone; when Peter needed help, she’d always hug him and caress his brown locks. Tony was nothing like her. However, the man was trying. The man knew what losing someone felt like.

            All he needed was someone to help him. And there he was. Tony Stark, promising that he’d listen and help him. Peter bit his lip. Damnit, he was only trying to get help to defeat the purple alien. He didn’t need help with his emotions. He didn’t deserve it. And yet, tears came out of his eyes. Suddenly he was sobbing. Emotions taking over his body. He felt so useless. He felt like he was annoying. He felt like he was bothering the man.

            “It’s ok, kid. Let it out. It’s ok, I got you.” Tony reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulders.

            After minutes crying in front of Tony Stark, Peter whipped his tears, cleaning his face. He admitted that he felt better than before. His mind was now clear. And the pain of losing his aunt a second time was now gone. Peter took a deep breath, preparing himself to tell the man what happened to his aunt.

            Tony watched the kid whipping his tears, patiently.

            “She died… died in a car accident.” Peter spoke quietly. “There was a tank truck, it hit her car. And…” He chocked, feeling the guilt hitting him. “It exploded.”

            Tony bit his lips.

            “I saw her body, Mr. Stark,” he whispered. “It was all burned. I couldn’t even see her face.” Tony placed his hands on his shoulders again, gripping it tightly.

            “You don’t need to tell me,” Tony said firmly. “I know you’re not ready for this, kid.” Peter glanced his own hands. “For now I’ll take you to your bedroom. You can take a shower and rest.”

            “But, Mr. Stark! I left the hospital! They’re probably looking for me…”

            “Don’t worry, kid. That’s adult’s business. Let me handle it.” Tony got up and smiled at him. “Come on.”

 

* * *

 

 

            Tony watched all of his companions entering and joining the meeting.

            Captain America sat in front of him, putting his shield down — poor man was getting ready for the intruder, and it turned out that it was just a teenager. Tony smiled at the thought of an upset Captain, complaining about getting ready for nothing. Next to the blond man was Falcon. The man didn’t look happy for being called for the meeting. However, no one cared about it. He was an Avenger now, he needed to come to the meetings.

            Maybe Sam was still upset with the whole Sokovia Accords — probably upset that he’d been beat by Spider-Man. Next was Natasha, chewing a gum, with a blank expression in her face — as always. Clint sat next to Natasha, only because they were good friends. And maybe because he was still upset with Tony. Honestly, the billionaire didn’t know and didn’t care about it. 

            Vision was in a mission with Wanda. Which meant that Steve would have to inform Vision and Wanda about the meeting. Scott Lang got in the room, with a somnolent look in his face. Still, he sat next to Tony and waited for instructions. He was the only one that really didn’t care about the Sokovia Accords. Scott was a big fan of Captain America and joined the fight because he worshiped him.

            “Stark.” Rogers said.

            “Cut it, Cap. It’s not that important.” Tony explained immediately. Sam groaned, as if he was about to complain. However, Steve elbowed him weakly, asking him to stay quiet. “Thanks, Steve.”

            “What is it about?” Steve asked worried. “Is this about the Sokovia Accords again? I’m sure Ross is out of it and the UN cooperate with us now.” The blond ranted. “What about the intruder?”

            “Jesus, calm down. I said it’s not that important. It has nothing to do with Ross or UN.” Tony said in response, hands running through his brown hair.

            “Then what is it?”

            “If you shut up, maybe he can explain,” as always, Natasha snapped. “I’m quite bored. Can you please go on?”

            Tony took a deep breath. “The intruder was a kid. Peter Parker.” The Avengers were confused. Well, almost all of them. As he expected, Natasha and Clint seemed to know about the kid. _God, they’ve already searched the kid’s life…_ Tony said to himself. “He lost his aunt this morning. I’m keeping him in.”

            Now everyone was confused. And Tony couldn’t blame them. Everyone knows how bad Tony is with kids — some of them know about his trauma of having a kid; his fear of being a terrible dad haunted him daily. However, what could he do? Peter Parker was the most nice and wonderful kid he ever met. The kid was smart, but always humble. And now the kid was broken and in grief. There was no one to help him, no family. Tony needed to help him.

            “I know what you’re thinking. Stop with that face.”

            “What face?” Scott inquired with a grin. “The no-way-that-Tony-Stark-adopted-a-kid face?”

            The Avengers laughed. Steve was holding back his laugh, but it was quite obvious that he found it funny.

            “Ok, firstly, I’m not adopting him! Just taking the guardianship,” Sam was about to say something, but Tony cut him. “And secondly, if I were to adopt the kid, it’s none of your business.”

            “You took the guardianship? Why? Where’s his family?” Steve asked confused, frowning.

            “Dead.” Natasha said, simply. “I’ve searched it up, when I first saw you with him,” Tony knew what she was talking about. When the whole fight was occurring, Tony came with a kid and said it was only an internship. Obviously, the Black Widow did not believe him. “Richard and Mary Parker died in a plane crash. His uncle, Ben Parker, died almost three years ago. Got shot.”

            “Thanks for invading his privacy, Nat.” Tony said sarcastically. “Anyway, his aunt was his only family. And now she passed away.”

            “Couldn’t you just send him to a foster care?” Clint asked, while eating something. Tony supposed it was some kind of bread.

            “I can’t.” Tony blurted it out. “And I cannot explain why.”

            Everyone went quiet.

            Tony Stark simply couldn’t say that the kid was also Spider-Man. That was his secret to tell. However, if the boy wanted, he’d be glad to tell the team that he’s also a superhero. He needed to talk with him first.

            “That’s it. I just came to tell you guys to not be weird around him.”

            “Weird? We’re not weird!” Steve argued back.

            “Are you sure about that, Cap?” Tony pointed with his head to Scott, Sam and Clint. Steve chuckled. “That’s what I thought.” The billionaire grinned.

            “Hey, you have no rights to call us weird.” Scott said, as if he was offended.

            “That’s right! If anyone is weird here, is you.” Sam defended.

            “True!” Clint said, finishing his bread.

            “Right, kids. I don’t have time to deal with you.” Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m going to talk to the kid.”

            “Bye, Tony,” Natasha said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. So, this week was full of exams. I was kind of busy with studying and stuff. So I had this little chapter already done. Since I may not have the time to write a big chapter, I thought I'd give you guys this little one. But I promise, next chapter will be big, and it will be more interesting.
> 
> I'm really sorry for not being able to write this week. I'll see you guys soon. Maybe next week. And with a big chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	4. A Gigantic Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter have a bad dream. But he's not alone anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! I promised a big chapter, so here I am.  
> Enjoy this chapter, it's nice. Pay attention to the details, it might have some clues about Peter's past.

_If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it._

_The brunette’s eyes gazing towards the man wearing a leather jacket. An older man, experienced, father of a teenager girl and husband. The man had this determination glowing in his bluish eyes, focusing on Spider-Man’s mask. Nevertheless, despite being a superhero, Peter Parker had his arms trembling in fear; eyes wide and sweat running over his face. Somehow, inside the homemade suit was hotter than before._

_As if time was traveling faster than ever, Peter heard the man shouting at him, pointing that he was not even aiming at the superhero boy. Suddenly, the building collapsing on Peter’s enhanced body. Irony, the boy would say. Spider-Man was being crushed by the building just as real spiders are crushed by human’s feet. Peter laughed dryly, feeling the concrete breaking his bones._

_Shivers went down his spine. The air suddenly went out of his lungs; the brunette tried to breath. It was impossible. And yet, the scenario changed. Just like a delusional sight, the building was nowhere to be found; the Vulture was not flying in the sky with his suit. There was only light and a black smoke covering all of his body. Peter felt fear running through his veins._

_“You could’ve died! And for what?!” There was an angry tone shouting at him. Peter knew who that was. Tony Stark himself, grabbing the boy’s shoulder. “I said I’d do something about it, Parker!” He let the boy’s shoulders, only to articulate with his hands while he let a dry laugh out of his mouth. Tony snorted. “Well, guess my word means nothing to you. Guess my worry means_ shit _to you!” Peter gazed at the man’s chocolate-colored eyes._

_“You don’t need to worry about me! You’re not my dad!” He didn’t mean to say that. However, the past could not be fixed. What he said could not be unsaid. Peter’s mouth moved by itself. “I’m a_ superhero _! I have powers! I couldn’t let him go away!”_

_“God, sometimes I just hate this part of you,” Tony muttered. Peter felt the anger controlling his body._

_“That’s who I_ am _!” Peter screamed, frustrated. He was no kid. He was Spider-Man. He was a superhero. “I don’t need you. Stop taking care of me. I don’t need it. I don’t need your suit. I’m Spider-Man even without it.” He said as he walked away._

_Peter sat sadly, watching his mentor go away. The sound of something broken was heard. It was their relationship._

_Suddenly, Tony Stark appeared again._

_“Well, guess what, Parker. You_ needed _me. You_ need _me.” Tony’s tone was cold, and it cut Peter’s soul like a sharp blade. “Your aunt’s dead. I could’ve helped you. But you’re a kid. A jealous one. And I hate it.” Peter’s eyes widened. “You shouldn’t have come! I hate your way of thinking. I hate that you’re so dumb.” The brunette took a step back, only to be followed by the dark presence of Mr. Stark. “I hate_ you _.”_

_“Tony, I’m—”_

_“Zip it! The adult’s talking!” Peter stiffed, feeling intimidated. “I tried to warn you.” Tony laughed. However, it wasn’t funny. “It’s your fault and you should suffer!” Tony grabbed his shoulders with a tight grip. “Go away! I hate you! Go away! Can’t you see I hate you, Parker! You don’t deserver my help! Go!”_

_“Tony, please, no! Stop! Stop!” Peter felt those fingers digging his skin; burying it deep. He felt the man’s fingernails cutting his flesh. “Stop! Stop! Please, I get it! I’ll go away! Please!”_

_“No! You deserve it, Peter!”_

_“Stop!”_

_Peter!” He heard, while the pain was suddenly going away._

            “Peter! Wake up!” The brunette opened his eyes, watching his former mentor’s face. The billionaire had a horrid expression on his face; his eyes shining with fear and worry. Peter slowly observed the room he was in. His old room inside the compound. It was a dream. Only a dream. It wasn’t real. “Are you ok, bud?” Tony asked softly, squeezing lightly the boy’s arms.

            Peter Parker felt the cold breeze embracing his body, sending shivers down his spine. Nevertheless, that was not the reason why the boy was trembling. It was fear. The brunette’s eyes widened feeling the billionaire’s grip; feeling the old man presence. He tried to go away. But the room was closed, and he didn’t really know about the compound structure. Watching the man’s worried gaze, Peter let out a sigh.

            “Bad dream, huh?” Tony hummed, letting the boy’s arms go. The billionaire crossed his arms, ready to listen to whatever Peter had to tell him. “You want to explain what happened?” Tony asked — but it sounded more like an order. “I mean— shit, uh. That’s not what I meant! You don’t need to talk if you don’t want to!” Tony explained, articulating with his hands. “Look, I’m not that good with kids. Really. But I know how it feels to lose someone; or even how it feels to have nightmares.” The older man said, trying to catch Peter’s trust. “I’m rambling too much…” Peter’s lips went up, slightly. “What I want to say is: if you need me, I’m here. God, I’m always here, kid. You’re not alone.”

            Tony scratched his goatee, feeling the embarrassment control his body, somehow. It was a whole new experience to talk to kids, specially about emotions. Well, you see, Tony Stark wasn’t the best example. The billionaire himself never really talked about his feelings. He told Pepper, slightly, about his nightmares after the Chitauri invasion. Rhodey was his best friend, but still, it was hard to tell him. Bruce was a good guy, and he honestly tried to rant about his life/feelings. However, Bruce wasn’t a good listener.

            He was trying, however, to give the kid the best experience; the best comfort and friendship he could give. If he needed to confess that he was always scared about everything around him, then he would. If he needed to say that he had trust issues, then he would. It didn’t matter. He would be there for the kid.

            Peter watched the man’s gaze — a embarrassed, still determined gaze facing the brunette. And, at that moment, he remembered everything that happened. The reason why he was facing Tony Stark at his bed; the reason why he felt younger; the reason why he feared for his future. The nightmare took his strengths away. Seeing a Tony Stark screaming at him and stating bad things about him was really impossible to take it. Nevertheless, the real Tony was there to comfort him. The man that had a big heart and was willing to help him in every way.

            “T-thanks, Mr. Stark.” Peter said with a grin.

            “Cut the mister thing, kiddo. I’m not that old,” Tony rolled his eyes, getting up. The bed felt, somewhat, empty. “Call me Tony.”

            “Hm… if you say so,” Peter joked.

            “What’s this? Is this a smile? Are you laughing at me?” Tony said dramatically, putting a hand over his chest. “That’s really rude, you know?”

            “I am truthfully sorry, your highness,” Peter bowed. “Please forgive me.”

            “I forgive you. Now, come on. You need to put some food inside your stomach,” Tony said, walking slowly towards the room’s door. “God, now we have two enhanced people to eat. You’ll be the death of me, kid.”

            Peter laughed, following happily the older man. Suddenly, that dark image of Tony Stark shouting and hurting him seemed like a joke.

            “Thanks, Tony…” Peter said, quietly this time.

            “Don’t mention it.” Tony retorted.

 

* * *

 

            The compound was a really big building. It had everything. Dorms for the team; different types of laboratories; training room and a gym; it also had a good common area with a gigantic screen on the center; there were some video games hanging around and, of course, some entertaining areas to be. Tony Stark really cared about the Avengers and they’re comfort. And at that moment, Peter felt like he’d have a nice stay inside that place.

            Tony led the way, wandering down the hallway — that was being illuminated by the sunlight. Peter’s brown-colored eyes observed the place carefully. His eyes picked five doors, including his own bedroom’s door. He had neighbors, that was a fact. Along the hallway there was some small species of plants, standing on the floor, absorbing the sunlight with mastery. After a few steps, they were out of the first part of the dorms. Gigantic and stylish staircases led the way towards the first floor.

            Peter stood there for a second, observing the area. Some couches were placed in front of the staircase. A light-brown-colored carpet was situated between them. A small table was also between them, above the carpet. A nice resting area before going to sleep. In front of the hallway — where his bedroom was — was another hallway with five more doors. The brunette deduced that they were in the Avenger’s dorms. The question was: why was his room inside the Avenger’s dorms?

            “Come, kid.” Peter woke up from his thought, only to follow the billionaire.

            The first floor was simple, yet cozy and bright. A gigantic window was placed on the wall in front of the staircase — the window touched the floor and the roof of the second floor, where the dorms were at. Peter’s eyes could see the outside of the compound. A wonderful green situated outside, giving life to the local. It was gorgeous, to say the least.

            They kept going. Leaving the dorm area behind, Peter and Tony passed through a lot of elevators and doors. The brunette didn’t know where they led. And honestly, he was so hungry that he didn’t even cared about the elevators and doors. He just kept going, following Tony’s steps.

            Nevertheless, Tony Stark stopped, turning around to face the brunette. Peter was confused, but he guessed the billionaire wanted to talk to him. The boy waited, until the man was finally ready to talk. It seemed serious.

            “Look… I know I should’ve asked you before,” Tony started. “But the social workers and the police were already searching for you.” Peter remembered when he got in the hospital. The doctor said he would definitely talk to the social worker and try to find a new place for him to go. If he remembered right — or if this was the same thing as his past — the social worker was an ambitious woman, trying to earn money doing the job of putting Peter inside a stranger’s house.

            He remembered listening to the blond woman chatting on her phone, laughing as she explained to her friend how she would earn money if Peter went to a stranger’s house. Apparently, a man was interested in adopting the brunette — the man was called Steven Westcott. However, the teenager was an insistent and egoist person. He wanted to live by himself. Since he was still underage, he asked for help to Ned, his best friend.

            _“Listen here, kid. No one wants an orphan teenager like you.” The blond woman mocked with an enormous devil grin placed on her reddish lips. Peter was upset, in grief, but there she was, telling him those terrible words. “We have this guy who wants you. I don’t know what he wants with a useless kid like you. But it is you only chance!” She argued. “Now, will you please shut the fuck up and do as I say?”_

_Peter felt the urge to punch her. However, with his aunt at his side, he could only whimper and ignore her. He could not disappoint his now deceased aunt. Picking his phone up the teenager searched for his best friend. The only person who could really help him. The name was clear. He called the boy and waited for the other’s answer. When he heard that typical friendly voice, Peter wanted to cry. Tears were laying down on his eyelids. He wanted to cry—_

_“Ned, Ned... please, please! She—”_

_Dead. A dead person lying next to him and he knew that person very well. Peter’s brownish eyes peered over the motionless body. His lungs failed; his heart skipped a beat. She was dead and it was his fault. All his fault. Peter tried to breathe. No air; no oxygen; no life. That room smelled like death; that room felt like a departure place. No air. Can’t breathe. She is—_

“Is that ok to you?” Tony asked, pulling him back to the real world; to the present. Peter blinked, confused. He was remembering about the time where he called Ned to save him. And at that moment, he lost track of Tony’s words. “Did you listened to what I said?”

            “Actually… no. I’m sorry,” Peter honestly answered. Tony sighed. The brunette must’ve looked as if he was about to cry. And, being honest to himself, he really wanted to cry. For some reason, remembering his old past was painful. He bit his lips.

            “It’s ok, kiddo.” Tony smiled softly. “As I was saying… the social workers were searching for you. I needed to do something. So I called my lawyers and I got your guardianship.” Peter’s eyes widened. “Sorry… is that not ok?” Tony asked worried.

            “No, no. It’s— really, Tony… That’s really nice of you.” Peter blurted. A warm feeling coming up to his heart. He never thought that his former mentor, despite the whole Vulture thing, would take his guardianship. He never thought a guy like Tony Stark would do that. He never thought that the billionaire would care about him. “Thanks, Tony!” Peter grinned slightly.

            “Well, guess it worked. I thought you’d hate it.” The man confessed.

            “Huh. Why, though?”

            “Since… since you aunt was your legal guardian, I didn’t want to replace her or anything.” Tony explained.

            “It’s really ok, Tony. I appreciate it.” Peter said sincerely.

            Tony grinned, turning away, asking quietly to the boy follow him.

            “Oh, right. I told the team I took your guardianship; however I didn’t told them about the… you know, the Spidey thing.” Tony pointed, continuing to walk. “It’s not my secret to tell.”

            “Thanks…”

            Peter could now see the common area clearly. Three gigantic couches were in front of the big black screen. All gathered in a circle. Under the television were the video games — a classic Wii, a new PS4 and the XBOX One. To Peter’s reality, those were pretty old and classic, specially the Wii. However, he could not say that out loud.

            At the right side of the common area was the dinning-room and the kitchen. The dinning-room was open to the living-room. So it was pretty easy to see both the TV and the giant glass table in the center of the dinning-room. The table was surrounded by twelve chairs. On the table various dishes were situated; from simple meats to difficult and well done Italian and French food. It was definitely a banquet.

            Tony went to the kitchen and the brunette followed. There was only one person inside. And it was Bruce Banner, the world’s famous scientist for trying to replicate the Captain America serum and creating a whole new thing. The Hulk. If Peter Parker were a real teenager, he would definitely be shy around the man and would try to say to him how good his work was. However, after working with Banner for almost three years, Peter was more than used to the man’s presence.

            Peter watched the man cooking an Indian dish with mastery. If the teenager was correct, and he always is, Banner stayed in India working as a doctor and hiding from the US government — and also trying to be as calm as possible. It was no surprise that the man was cooking an Indian dish. Tony approached the man, grinning.

            “Brucie-bear!” Tony said patting the man’s shoulder. Banner stiffed, almost letting the spoon drop from his hands. “Calm down, pal.” The billionaire joked. “I wasn’t expecting you today. How was your trip?”

            “Oh, cut it. You knew I was here from the beginning.” The doctor rolled his eyes, a little upset with his friend. “And the trip was fine. Visiting DC is kind of fun when you know where to go.”

            “A total lie.” Tony retorted.

            “Anyway,” Bruce sighed. “Who’s the kid?”

            “I’m Peter Parker, nice to meet you, doctor Banner.” The brunette extended his hands, only to find the shy grip of the man. Part of the boy was still happy for knowing so much about the doctor. He knew that he always felt embarrassed for being treated like a special person. He also was very shy to new people. And that let the boy happy.

            “Please, call me Bruce, Peter.” He asked, politely.

            “God, you two are way too polite.” Tony rolled his eyes, faking a disgusted face. “Come here, kiddo, let’s feed you.” Peter watched the man going back to the dinning-room.

            “Well, I got to go.” Peter said with a grin. Bruce waved slowly and continued cooking.

            Peter left the man in the kitchen and followed the billionaire. Tony was sitting next to the window, picking some food to himself. Peter guessed that they’d be the first one to eat. Maybe Bruce would come. The brunette sat down in front of Tony, on the other side of the table. He searched something to eat. There were various options. However, Peter didn’t mind those fancy dishes. He grabbed some steak and rice — also some vegetables.

            The food felt amazingly good and tasty inside the boy’s mouth. If he was not prepared to taste some good food, he’d have let a moan of joy get out of his mouth. Although it was embarrassing, Peter really wanted to let a small whimper. Tony Stark kept sending the boy smalls gazes, trying to read the brunette’s thought. It was, nevertheless, impossible to read the teen’s mind. Watching the young boy eating quietly only have proved to him that Peter was acting different.

            When Tony used to spend the time of his life trying to help the young Spider-Man to fight crimes — adjusting the suit he’d gave him, monitoring his vitals signs and fights, etc. —, Peter Parker was a broken radio. The teenager would always smile and chat with the others enthusiastically. It was a little thing that the billionaire loved to pay attention. He loved listening to the boy — even though the brunette would always talk about old pop culture and some bad chemistry joke. He always enjoyed staying beside Peter. It was a new experience.

            However, nothing is forever; especially good things. Tony and the kid had grown apart after the Vulture incident. The billionaire regretted, of course. He wished that their little fight would become a joke between them. The thought of him and the kid laughing, remembering the time where they’d fight; remembering that their relationship was more important than a small fight.

            It never happened. Tony kept watching the boy, quietly. He still watched the boy’s vital signs; he still fixed the suit when the teen needed it; he was still curious about the brunette’s life. He missed him. However, Tony didn’t have the courage to talk to Peter; he never tried to make contact with the boy. So, watching the boy completely broken after his aunt’s death was painful. Tony knew, somehow, that this was his fault. It was his fault for letting the teen alone. He should have helped May; he should have saved her. Perhaps then Peter would be happy; perhaps he’d smile and thank Tony; perhaps they’d gain each other’s trust again.

            Tony sighed.

            “Enjoying the food, kid?” The billionaire asked, cleaning the corner of his lips with a napkin.

            Peter peered up, finding the man’s warm gaze. “Of course, Mr. Stark,” Tony snorted. “Uh… I mean— Tony. Of course, Tony.” Then a gracious laugh came from the man’s lips. Peter was embarrassed, but the sight of his former mentor laughing was amazing. It was nostalgic. God, how he missed that. How he missed him.

            “Take your time, mr. Parker,” Tony teased, putting the napkin on the table. “I’m going to clean my dish. You stay here and eat.”

            “Alright.”

            Tony got up with the dish in his hands and went towards the kitchen. While Peter ate, he could hear the laugh coming from the kitchen. It sounded like they were having some fun. The brunette smiled fondly hearing their laugh of joy. He kept eating, finishing everything within minutes. The boy looked up, facing the ceiling. It was a blank ceiling with some chandelier illuminating the place. Gorgeous.

            “Come, kiddo,” Tony said, drawing the boy’s attention. Peter blinked confused. “You’ve finished, right?” Peter shook his head, affirming. “Then come. I’ll show you the place.”

 

* * *

 

 

            The place was, indeed, enormous.

            Peter could not remember all the places inside that place. However, he could manage. It was all separated by blocks.

            Block A. Where the dorms were at and also the common area — where he and Tony ate their food and met Bruce cooking his food. It was made by the Avengers to be a nice and cozy place for all of them. Tony, on the other hand, wanted all the blocks with simple medical bays and laboratories. He explained that he did not wanted anyone to die. In case of emergencies the lab and medical bay would be used.

            So, that explained the elevators and locked doors he has seen before going to the common area. Peter grinned. The compound was really amazing.

            Then there is Block B, the most important one. Tony said it was like his second home. This block had more than one laboratory. It was three in total. One lab for biological/chemical subjects; one lab for engineering, where Tony spent days creating new weapons for the team or shields to protect their comrades. And the last lab was a personal one, only for Tony Stark. He didn’t explain much about that lab.

            “It’s where the magic happens,” he could only say that.

            There was a big medical bay, with more specific machines and instruments — they could even treat a serious disease and even do surgery. The Avengers had a medical team to attend and treat their injuries. They could also run tests with the enhanced people, or help Tony with the safety measures inside the Iron Man suit — and the team’s weapons. In short, that block was the most important one.

            Block C, the political one. It was where the team made their meetings; where they discussed about the Sokovia Accords and the safety of the world — especially NY. It was a basic block and smaller than the others. Peter remembered Tony saying that he hated that block, but they all needed it. They entered some meeting rooms, joked about Captain America and laughed while they were there. Besides the meeting rooms, there was a room only for security — a team was selected to deal with the camera system inside and outside the compound. Even though FRIDAY did everything inside that place, the government said that the Avenger should also have people working on it.

            And the last one, Block D. It was a gigantic block. It was made for training sessions, so the block was both inside and outside the compound. There was a gym, a gymnasium, an athletic swimming pool and training rooms. The Avengers had a training schedule. Everyone in the team had one, and they were obliged to do it. So, when Peter was gazing the place, he found a sweaty Sam Wilson sparring with Scott Lang. It was fun meeting them — especially when Scott was complaining about their training section. However, they stayed there for two minutes and then left to eat lunch with the rest of the team.

            It was fun. Peter learned a lot about the team and about the place that he was in. Tony made sure he felt comfortable with everything and for that he was thankful. So, by the end of the day, the brunette felt tired. He went to his room — now knowing where he was going to.

            His room was fascinating. It had everything he used to like — twenty-six years old Peter would never admit that he still loved Star Wars and Legos — when he was a teenager. There were posters on the wall, and they seemed new and refreshing. His room was in a dark blue tone and it calmed him down. Tony gave him a new phone and a computer; it was all laying on his bed. Peter loved it.

            He loved that he was being kept under the Iron Man’s wings. He loved that he had someone — even though Ned was his best friend, Tony Stark felt like something else. He loved the place he was staying. But, above all that, he loved that he could go back in time; he loved that he could do the right thing; he loved that he could save his comrades. It was his second chance. And he needed to make it right.

            Peter laid on his bed, feeling his body getting heavier and heavier.

            He closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. So this chapter was big. Phew, I did it.  
> "But, Stephen, this chapter has nothing to do with the story!"  
> Aw, that hurts. And it is also a lie. This chapter was a informative chapter; it contains details about the place Peter is in, and it will help with future chapters.  
> I also needed to develop Tony's and Peter's relationship (give ya some clues, hehe).  
> It is all important. 
> 
> Did you guys payed attention to the chapter? Did you guys enjoyed it? Let me know.  
> Until next time, guys OwO


	5. Tinkering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter wakes up and decides that he has no time to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, I'm sorry. I am late as hell. I'm not going to give you guys excuses. I'm late and that's on me. anyway, I had this chapter— I had this small project of a chapter. it's small, and it's just Peter working. I know. i know. I'm sorry. 
> 
> not going to make any promises. I dont know if there will be a big chapter next week or something. it depends.

As he thought, the sleep didn’t last long.

(His hands went automatically towards his left leg, feeling it tingling. The sweat running through his pale skin. Peter almost screamed for help, however, watching his leg standing perfectly still, he calmed down. It felt real.

_ “Peter!” Mr. Stark, his companion, yelled, watching the young-man suffering. _

__ __ _ Spider-Man let out a whimper, feeling the bone scratching his muscles while the purple alien played with his body. It felt like hell. Peter let out a shaky breath, trying to keep his eyes open. _

__ __ The teenager inhaled and let out a sight, trying to let those nightmares behind.)

At the moment — “It is, exactly, 3:14 AM.” Friday said to the young boy — Peter had his suit in his hands, while his teeth held tight a screwdriver. The brunette faced the suit’s system quiet and carefully; brownish eyes running through the suit hard drive, as if it was marble, so delicate and beautiful, yet so dangerous.  His glasses rested on his nose. It has been a while since Parker decided to never wear his glasses again. However, in the future, the young-man decided to create special glasses, that could adapt to Peter’s senses. It was pretty useful — when the man’s senses dialed to eleven, he could rest in peace, because his glasses would immediately dim the glass and turn it into a sunglass.

Making one of those special glasses was easy. The teen only needed his old Spider-Man suit. With his agile hands, the brunette took off the glass and put it on the glasses’ frames. It wasn’t the same as his old one — the glasses that Peter made when he was twenty-years-old had Karen in it, an actual display and the adaptative system. The one he had on his face was simple — however, once he visited the lab on Block A, he could make a better one.

“Oh, hello there, Karen,” Peter muttered with a grin, while his eyes watched the AI’s coding program on his new laptop. “Sorry, Mr. Stark. I’m changing everything,” he chuckled.

His fingers flew to the laptop’s keyboard, typing some new codes. His first goal was to take off all those protocols that Tony Stark made to supervise the teen. Don’t get him wrong; Peter actually thought that they were good and important. To the young Peter, that is. He wasn’t a kid anymore — he wasn’t a kid since he entered M.I.T. alongside his best friend Ned and started a company. The new coding was perfect — he risked in saying that the coding was better than his AI from 2028.  

Karen was officially Peter’s AI now.

“Karen, initiate Yankee, Oscar, Uniform, Tango, Hotel, two, zero, one, eight,” Peter recited the code, without even looking to the laptop’s screen.

“Initializing,” Karen responded with a robotic voice. The coding tab went black. In ten seconds, the AI filled the tab with new codes and protocols. “Password requirement.”

“One, six, dash, Foxtrot, underline, two, zero, two, eight.” Peter replied.

“Peter Benjamin Parker. Control level: Alpha-red-blue.” Karen’s robotic voice said. “Good morning, boss.” Karen greeted with her kind tone, making the teen smile.

“Good to see you too, honey,” the brunette greeted back.

“Would you like me to precede with the Baby Steps Protocol?” She asked. Peter took the screwdriver off his mouth, putting it on the table.

“Yes.”

The Spider-Man suit emitted a white-green light, travelling through the suit’s LEDs and wires. Peter enjoyed the sound that his suit made. It was like those old movies where a guy encrypted a message with an evil smile, and on the background was the sound of a computer working on it. The teen grinned with joy. Suddenly the lights went away.

“Baby Steps Protocol almost done. I will need your phone connected to the laptop to finish it.” Karen asks.

Peter takes out the phone from inside his pocket, rolling his eyes. “I’m pretty sure you can do this via wi-fi,” he mutters, connecting the phone to the laptop. The screen instantly lights up, showing the lock screen — it was the default picture of a blue lake.

Karen sighed, almost disappointed. “As one of my protocols says, I need to prevail my boss’ safety.” She started. “Wi-fi would be dangerous, whereas the network could be easily broken by someone.”

“I made you to be the best, sweetheart,” Peter said jokingly.

“That is why I’m not taking any risks.”

“Wow, I love you so much,” the boy said with a grin. He had done the best AI. “Ok, can you please be quick? I need your help with something.” He heard a soft hum from the AI.

The brunette put the screwdriver back inside his backpack. With a satisfying look, the boy took the suit and put it on his wardrobe. He didn’t change the suit that much. Peter only needed his new AI inside the suit, to guide him through his daily basics. Also, he couldn’t change his suit yet — or make a new one. It would be too suspicious. Tony Stark had his own AI to keep an eye on Peter’s life. And, since now he was living inside the compound, he needed to be even more careful.

Deleting Karen’s old coding and replacing it with his own coding was extremally risky. However, Peter wasn’t a genius for nothing. He held that title and his five PhD with proud. His new AI had a protocol that would easily overwrite Friday’s codes. Only to show a fake image of the older Karen. That way Tony would never know about his doings.

Within seconds, Karen finished the Baby Steps Protocol, making a sound to alert Peter that she was finished. The teen ran towards the chair, unplugging the charger from his phone. He closed his laptop and put it resting on the table. He peered over his phone, curious. If he was right, and he usually was, the phone would be working as a normal Stark Phone; however, with Karen’s service controlling the system. The phone itself was normal, the same lame lock screen and the simple, yet perfect system of Stark Industries.

“Hon, are you there?” Peter asked to his phone, sitting on his bed.

“Of course, boss.”

“Ok, let’s get to work.”

* * *

 

Hours passed. Peter was feeling tired, his eyelids heavy enough to fall and make the boy blink and stay with his eyes closed for one minute. However, he had a duty. His phone projected holograms. There were two piles of notes separated by a big name on the top. ‘Stephen Strange’ was hanging alone in the air, while Peter kept his attention to the name.

Peter knew the guy before the intruder.

Stephen Strange, the top neurosurgeon with steady hands capable of doing the impossible. Winner of lots of prizes and a millionaire with style and life. He had a few coworkers that he really talked to in Metro-General Hospital. However, Christine Palmer was more than just a coworker. She was a powerful woman; powerful enough to intrigue the doctor’s attention and put him in a romantical relationship. Peter remembered meeting the woman to get an advice on medical procedures and machines that could help — only to introduce to the world the new Parker Industry Medical Support.

Christine was a delicate woman and strangely nice and supportive. Even though Peter was just twenty-three at the time, she believed in him — and that led to a billionaire young-man with more money than Tony Stark. Peter chuckled. In 2018 she was still working at the same place, glad and satisfied with her work. The woman declares that she hasn’t seen the doctor since the car accident.

The accident.

Doctor Strange was invited to a party, the man took one of his sports cars and went to the part at full speed — playing with the car’s tires. It would have been fine — despite the fact that he could easily skid with the car and roll over, dying within minutes. But the man was always searching for new challenges. While in the car, Stephen took a look at some kind of screen — looking after some patient’s diagnosis — and there was when the accident happened. It was a miracle that the man was still alive; however, with his hands injured, he could not be a surgeon anymore.

Sad and tragic story, Peter would say to himself.

The boy, with the help of his AI, searched for Stephen’s medical records, the man’s bank account and anything that could be helpful. Peter knew that the man was now a sorcerer of some kind, but he had literally no idea of where could the man be.

The medical records showed how damaged his hands were. It also proved that the man could not realize any surgery. Nothing interesting. However, Strange’s bank account was interesting and useful. It showed that the man went crazy, spending all of his money only to try to fix his hands. He sold everything and spent everything in theories, surgeons and hospitals. The man was in denial. And after that, Strange spent his last money in a plane ticket to Tibet. That was it.

Could it be that the man was now living in Tibet? No, impossible. Peter saw Strange sometimes in New York; also, every time the avengers needed help, the sorcerer would always be there. The brunette asked to his AI to cross the possibility of him living in Tibet.

There were also notes about Doctor Strange’s powers. Peter described everything he’d seen or heard. He remembered about the orange portal, from where the man would always come. A red cloak, that floated and was ridiculously sentient. Orange shields; some orange whip. And a necklace with a weird green light. If he remembered it right, the man would always complain to Spider-Man when he called him a wizard. Always saying that he was the Master of Mystic Arts (“Karen, please put that underneath Stephen’s name.” Peter asked, watching the title appearing underneath the man’s name).

He searched about Master of Mystic Arts, or sorcerers around the world. It was all impossible to found. It seemed fake. A myth. No one knew about them, apparently. Peter sighed. However, there was a single article, expressing their hate towards “evil wizards”. The man talked about a man with a red cape leaving a strange building. Apparently, this man — Stephen — bumped into this man and didn’t apologize. And after that another man came out of the building and faced the man with a disgusting look on his face.

Peter laughed. It was basically saying how much he hated those weird people; those wizards from hell. But something pulled his attention. It was a single address. Bleecker Street . The brunette shouted a ‘yes’, jumping from his bed.

“I might advise you to keep your tone low. You might disturb everyone’s sleep.” Karen said.

“Shit, I forgot about that… Not used to living with too many people. It was always me and… well, me.” Peter said to his AI, remembering the penthouse he lived in Manhattan. It was a prey nice house, yet he felt somewhat lonely. “Anyway, hon, put this address on the list. Try to find a weird building on the internet.” He ordered. “I’m going to the kitchen grab some coffee.”

“On it, boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hated how I wrote this. 
> 
> I had other plans with this chapter. I planned giving more plot into it. however, after he finds Strange, I got this writing block. and then I hated it. 
> 
> so I'll leave the plot to the next chapter.
> 
> sorry guys.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)


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